Change in the Path of Life
by yuuram2fangirl
Summary: A Semi-crack fic for people who are tired of the serious 'Lelouch dies and wakes up in another dimension where he has to fight a war' fics. This isn't like that. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Change in the Path of Life**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

 **Author Notes: I can read you thoughts and it goes something like- ANOTHER FIC?! Yes, I know I still have to update the others but this isn't a serious fic. Just a two shot, kind-of crack fic with slightly Crack pairings. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1: A New Life, A New Wife**

Lelouch vi Britannia died with a smile on his face.

"Lelouch?" Groaning, he buried his face deeper into the pillow. Wait a minute….. pillow? He bolted up and looked around trying to make sense of what was happening.

He was supposed to be dead. He couldn't be alive. He _shouldn't_ be alive. That was the whole point of taking over the world. If he survived then it would ruin the purpose of the Zero Requiem. He had made sure that he wouldn't be saved. He-

"Lelouch, are you alright?" Nunnally.

For a moment, Lelouch merely gaped at his sister in surprise. She was standing by his bed with a concerned expression on her face. He let the fact that she was standing by her own without any support or help sink in.

"Nunnally? You got cured?" He blurted out. Now it was Nunnally's turn to be confused.

"Was I sick?" She asked, titling her head to the side.

Lelouch didn't reply and kept staring at her. "Nunnally! Lelouch! We are going to be late." A sharp rap on the door made both the siblings jump.

"Coming Euphie!" Turning back to Lelouch she said, "Get dressed soon Lelouch. We have to get there soon if we want to be there on time." And with that Nunnally exited the room. Lelouch was still in shock.

'Euphie is alive.' He thought. And it was then he noticed his surroundings. There was a bit of change but he had no doubt that this was his bedroom in the Aries villa. 'But how did I reach here?' The last thing he remembered was staring into Nunnally's eyes as he took his last breath. That meant he couldn't be dreaming.

"Master., I think you better dress up soon before Princess Nunnally and Princess Euphemia get angry." At the familiar voice, Lelouch tumbled out of bed rather comically.

"CC." And there shew as standing by the doorway wearing a maid's uniform, complete with an apron. (But he was slightly comforted by the fact that her face had the same apathetic expression he was used to)

"How are you here? What is happening?" Lelouch fired his questions.

"My, my Prince Lelouch, isn't it irresponsible to forget about you engagement party?" The slight mocking tone CC used didn't bother him as much as seeing the formal suit that had been kept on the couch.

"My engagement party?" Lelouch's voice came out choked.

CC merely smiled. "Your engagement party you are going to be late to if you don't hurry up." And just as she turned to leave she glanced back with a grin.

"Think of it as a second chance." And she was gone.

Numbly, Lelouch dressed up before making his way out of his room. The hallways looked the same like he remembered. But his mind was busy trying to understand what CC had meant by the statement.

'Second chance?'

"Lelouch! There you are. Come one! We are already late as it is." Lelouch's breath got caught in his throat when he saw Euphie coming towards him. She looked as young and innocent as the last time he had seen her.

(Only last time she had a gun in her hand and blood all over her)

"Euphie…." She grabbed his hand and dragged him along with her. He didn't understand what was happening. Was it some kind of heaven? But Nunnally was not dead.

As he furiously tried to figure out what was happening they had reached their destination.

A huge airship was waiting for them. "Nunnally has already boarded." Euphie began dragging him up the stairs, into the air ship

"Where are we going?" Lelouch asked.

With an exasperated look at him she replied, "It's no time to joke Lelouch. We are going to Chinese Federation for you engagement party."

* * *

'Who? Who in Chinese Federation?' Lelouch closed his eyes and leaned back. The only one eligible to marry him would be the Empress but she was a child for God's sake! There was a reason he had kidnapped her from her wedding.

Frowning, he sighed tired. If this second chance at life meant he had to marry a child then he would rather go to hell.

(Though Lelouch did realize that she was only 2 years younger than him her size didn't reassure her)

"We have landed your Highnesses." Lelouch's eyes flew open. He had dozed off and didn't even realise that they had reached.

He wondered if it would be possible for him to hide in the plane until all the festivities were over.

"Let's go Lelouch. Suzaku is going to meet us here." Euphie grinned and eagerly got out. At Suzaku names Lelouch felt his mouth go dry. Suzaku Kururugi. The man that had ruined his best laid plans. The friend that helped him save the world. The best friend who had killed him. Swallowing thickly, he nodded and followed Nunnally out of the plane.

The sky was blue. So, so blue. Exactly like the day he had died.

"Nunnally?" Her violet gaze pierced him. "What's the date today?"

"22nd October 2018."

And Lelouch had to smile at the irony that he had supposed; he been given the second chance on the day he had died.

"Lelouch." He looked up to meet green eyes of his best friend. They had stepped out of the plane and were standing on the tarmac.

A big, black limousine was waiting for there. Beside it stood three people. Tw of them Lelouch could recognize very well. His ace and his Knight of Zero. He had never met the 3rd but he could guess his identity well enough. Naoto Kouzuki.

"You look nervous," Suzaku grinned at him and Lelouch idly noted that this Suzaku resembled the 10 year old Suzaku he had befriended all those years back instead of a soldier of Britannia. His green eyes held no sorrow and his shoulders didn't slump with the weight of the world.

"It's his engagement. Of course he's going to be nervous." Kallen scoffed.

"I don't remember you bring nervous during out engagement." Suzaku's eyes twinkled as he grinned the blushing Kallen.

'Engagement? Kallen and Suzaku?' Lelouch glanced at Euphie. She seemed unaffected, smiling happily at the apparent couple.

"She wasn't the blushing bride, she was more like Godzilla. You should've seen her scream at the soldier in her nervousness." Naoto jibed as Kallen scowled and punched him on the arm.

"Well it's your turn next. Let me see how you fare." She growled and Naoto just laughed and pulled Euphie closer to him.

Then it clicked in Lelouch's mind.

Suzaku and Kallen.

Euphie and Naoto.

"Rolo!" Nunnally squealed as another limo pulled up and Rolo stepped out.

And Nunnally and Rolo.

Lelouch promptly fainted.

"Lelouch? Lelouch?" A bit of water was sprinkled on his face. This had to be a dream. There was no way that his little sister and-

"Lelouch wake up!" A sharp sting on his face jolted him out if his fantasies and he looked into the sharp blue eyes of Kallen.

"Kallen." Suzaku sounded exasperated. "You didn't need to slap him."

"He wasn't waking up." Kallen sat back. It was then Lelouch realized that he was lying back on a leather seat. The limo. He sat up and looked around groggily. Only Kallen and Suzaku were here.

(He ignored the fact that they were staring at him warily)

"Where are the others?" He asked instead.

(And by others he meant Nunnally.)

"They went in the other limo." Suzaku informed him, the concerned expression never leaving his face. "Are you alright Lelouch?"

That made Lelouch pause.

What is he had been going at it in the wrong way? Maybe the rebellion, exile and his death was a dream and this life was real. But he had felt the sword penetrate through his skin. He had felt the pain of losing the people he cared about.

That could not be a dream.

And he didn't even remember this life. There were also CC's words to consider.

"Is CC here?" He blurted out.

Suzaku and Kallen blinked.

"CC? Who the hell is CC?" Kallen narrowed her eyes. "Is there something we should know about you and this CC?" Kallen's suspicious tone didn't fail to register in Lelouch's mind.

"No no! It's not what you think! Lelouch expression turned into a grimace as he thought about what Kallen was trying to imply. "God! It's nothing like that. It just slipped out."

Kallen's suspicious expression didn't falter while Suzaku merely looked confused.

Lelouch sighed. It was going to be a long ride.

"Lelouch-sama!" A voice squealed just as he got out of the limo with (a still suspicious) Kallen and (a still confused) Suzaku in tow.

"Kaguya. Let Lelouch breathe." Naoto's amused voice cut in.

Kaguya merely giggled before letting Lelouch go. He coughed before standing up straight.

"I am just greeting my best friends' fiancé."

Kaguya winked.

Lelouch felt like banging his head.

So his assumption had been correct. It was Tianzi that he was engaged to.

"Prince Lelouch vi Britannia!" Li Xingke stepped forward. "Welcome to the Chinese Federation." Lelouch was surprised to see a gentle smile on the usually stoic man's face. It didn't suit him.

Lelouch forced a smile and nodded.

Lelouch had worked with Li Xingke and the smile didn't fool him.

They were all taken in and escorted to their respective rooms to rest. As soon as the door close behind him Lelouch flopped on the bed and the thick pillows helped muffle his screams.

After a few minutes of screaming, he felt better. Letting himself off the bed, he ignored the suit he was supposed to wear for the party and stood in front of the huge mirror.

Gingerly, he traced the edge of his eyes. No geass. No sign of it. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. He had no other choice other than to play along for now.

He proceeded to take a nice hot (not to mention long) shower and wear his suit. "Lelouch, you ready?"

With one last glance in the mirror, Lelouch sighed and opened the door to reveal Suzaku standing there with smile on his face.

"Congratulations."

Lelouch smiled. "Thanks."

"You don't seem too excited about it." Lelouch pursed his lips.

"I'm just… nervous." Lelouch smiled nervously. "You too were on your engagement party if you don't remember." Lelouch didn't know whether Suzaku was nervous or not but he did know Suzaku for the past 8 years and knew how he reacted.

Smiling sheepishly Suzaku nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

"Come on, let's go." Suzaku led the way. They reached a grand door and Lelouch strangely felt like a prince in the fairy tales he used to read to Nunnally. As Suzaku opened them and entered Lelouch felt a strange sense of Déjà vu. It seemed to be the same scene that he had experienced in his dimension (the only difference being that they had entered from another door than the one he had entered as Zero and that he was the one getting married to her this time)

There were many people milling around and Lelouch saw the High Eunuchs sitting on the long table that was elevated. He and Tianzi would have to sit on it later in the night for dinner.

"It's good to see Britannia and Chinese Federation mixing together so nicely." Suzaku commented cheerfully unaware of the inner turmoil Lelouch was going through. "Anyways I better find Gino and ask him about the security arrangements." Suzaku grinned at Lelouch and disappeared into the crowd.

"Your highness." Lelouch glanced up and caught the sight of Jeremiah.

"Jeremiah. What- "He also caught sight of Sayoko who was standing a bit too close to Jeremiah.

"Sayoko-san." The bulge of her stomach didn't go unnoticed by Lelouch. "The baby-"

"Is doing perfectly fine." Jeremiah looked excited. "He has started to kick."

"He?"

"We are expecting a boy." Sayoko intervened. "We thought of naming him after you."

Lelouch just stared at them numbly for a moment before regaining his senses and smiling warmly.

"I'm honoured."

"Lelouch!"

"Miss Milly." Sayoko smiled at the girl that had come running up to them.

"Sayoko. I see that you are getting bigger." The trademark Milly grin was present on her face. Lelouch didn't know whether he should be glad or very, very afraid (especially after her smirk turned a bit twisted when she directed it at him)

Sayoko just smiled before saying. "Well excuse us as we go and meet Ohgi-san and Villeta."

Milly just nodded and turned to Lelouch.

"What are you doing here?" Lelouch asked. It wasn't that he wasn't glad to see her. On the contrary, he was happy he was able to meet one of his closest friends again.

"How rude." Milly huffed folding her arms across her chest. "Clovis bought me along with him."

"Uh?"

"Fine. I might've thre- warned him that he may lose his fiancée if he doesn't take her with him." Milly's blue eyes twinkled and Lelouch was dumbstruck.

"You and Clovis are-"

"Don't worry. I won't be breaking up with him since he bought me here." Milly grinned.

The amount of unexpected couples he had come across since he woke up had rendered him speechless. But then he decided that they both suited each other; in a very weird and strange way. Since Clovis would never be seen with a commoner, Lelouch decided that the Ashfords might've never lost their noble status. That seemed plausible since he was still a Prince.

"There comes the Empress." At that Lelouch turned towards the doors. People were beginning to part to make way for the young Empress to enter. Tianzi was wearing the traditional dress that Lelouch recalled her wearing during the party he had crashed with Kaguya. She still looked small but there was a spark of confidence in her features Lelouch was sure wasn't there in his time.

"Like what you see?" Milly gently teased him. Against his will, his grimaced. Realizing that it wasn't the most appropriate behaviour from a future groom he tried to school his features into something more pleasant. But Milly immediately spotted it.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes were narrowed as she placed both her hands on her hips.

"Nothing." Denial.

"Lelouch….." She trailed off and from experience Lelouch knew that there would be some threat at the end of it. "If you don't tell me what's wrong I will make sure that all your family members AND your future bride gets a copy of the photograph of the time you dressed up in a kimono." And he was right. Used to such threats Lelouch merely sighed. (He didn't remember dressing up in a kimono- in this dimension)

"Don't you think we make an…..unusual couple?"

"Unusual?"

"We don't suit each other." He mumbled conscious of the people surrounding them. Most of them were from the Chinese Federation and Lelouch knew better than to anger them. "Isn't she a bit too small for me?"

Milly frowned. "She is Nunnally's age."

"Exactly! I can only see her as a small sister and nothing more!" Milly looked amused.

"You didn't have a problem before. I remember Suzaku bringing up the same point but you said that 'it was a political move and not an emotional one'. What happened suddenly?" Lelouch just stared at Milly for a moment before rubbing his forehead. He had forgotten that he had been bought up a prince over here then the ideals would be drilled in his head.

"I changed my mind."

"Isn't it too late for that?" Milly asked crossing her arms across her chest. At Lelouch's dejected look Milly sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. "Fine. I will see what I can do." At that Lelouch brightened up. If there was one thing he had complete faith in was Milly's manipulation skills. He had been a victim of it many a times. "But no guarantees." She wagged a finger.

Lelouch merely grinned.

With that she disappeared into the crowd.

"Prince Lelouch!" A hand wrapped around his shoulder and he supressed the urge to jerk away.

"Weinberg." He muttered instantly recognizing the blonde. He hadn't spent much time with him but he did remember Gino from Ashford Academy.

"Recorded." Looking up in surprise, he saw Anya with her pink camcorder. But Lelouch immediately spotted the difference between the Anya he knew and this Anya. This Anya had a smile on her face and amusement danced in her eyes as she observed them. There was something more… girlish and childish about her that hadn't been present in the Anya he knew. He was glad that the girl was not suffering from any problems caused by his mother.

"Enjoying the party?" Lelouch forced a smile on his face as he detangled himself from Gino's arms.

"It is certainly a lot of fun, Your Highness." Gino remarked pulling back.

"By fun he means he is enjoying stuffing his mouth with Chinese Cuisine."

"Not my fault if their food is so amazing." Gino defended himself. Anya merely shook her head, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"Whatever you say Gino."

"Have you already started badgering Lelouch?" Lelouch glanced to the side where Suzaku made his way towards them with a grin on his face.

"I wasn't badgering him." Gino pouted.

"It sure looked like that." Suzaku laughed as Gino poked his tongue out at him.

Lelouch felt like an outsider as he observed such a normal scene. He was used to war and bloodshed. He was used to see the anger and hatred in Suzaku's eyes and he was used to Gino and Anya being on the opposite end of the battlefield. The moment went against everything he was used to.

"I will be back." At their questioning glances, Lelouch smiled (fakely) and explained, "I need some fresh air."

They didn't seem too convinced but nodded their heads anyway before turning back to talk. Only Suzaku's eyes followed Lelouch as he made his way towards the balcony.

Leaning against the railing, Lelouch rubbed his forehead tiredly. He didn't understand. He was a logical person. According to him, he should be dead. This cannot be a dream since the dead don't dream. Even if he was saved then this wasn't the world he was born in. So what was happening?

"You are overthinking again."

Lelouch didn't raise his head as the voice floated to him. He felt her presence beside him.

"I am Lelouch. That's what I do."

He heard her sigh as she stepped closer to him. "Just let it go. Stop thinking for some time. Enjoy the chance you have been given." Lelouch pursed his lips and turned his head to the side to glare at her. She looked as relaxed as he wanted to feel.

"It's easy for you to say. You aren't the one who was supposed to die but woke up in another world where you are still a Prince and engaged to a child." Lelouch snapped. He knew that she had something to do with all this. She always had something to do with whatever went wrong.

"I told you to take it as a second chance."

"A second chance at what?" He asked exasperated.

"At life. To enjoy the things you couldn't." CC titled her head to study him. "To die with old age rather than assassination."

"I think I rather die young than to marry a child."

"She isn't a child you know. She is only 2 years younger than you. And she is quite the Lolita." CC grinned at the horrified look on his face.

"T-that's- she's like Nunnally!" He scowled as she threw her head back and laughed merrily at his misery. But he didn't say anything else knowing that anything he tried to tell would just make her more amused. But he couldn't just stand quietly while he got married to a child. And he still wasn't able to accept the fact that he was in a different, happier dimension.

"Well…. Is that the only argument you-"

"Lelouch?" The person in question froze as he resisted the urge to bang his head on the railing.

"Who are you?" Another voice cut in. It was then Lelouch realized that CC was still beside him and he could not mistake the irritation and suspicion in Kallen's voice. Suzaku was quiet so Lelouch wasn't keen on turning around and seeing the expression on his face. For the first time since he had started talking to CC, he noticed that she was wearing the same Black Knights dress she used to wear.

"Me? Just a well-wisher." Was CC's voice as mocking to Kallen as it was to Lelouch?

"What? I don't remember authorizing any unofficial guests in this-"Yes, it was.

"Calm down Kallen." Suzaku's firm voice cut in. "Lelouch can you please explain?"

Now Lelouch had no other choice than to turn around and face the suspicious couple staring at CC in interest.

"Who are you?" Kallen still seemed adamant on interrogating CC.

"I am CC." At that Kallen's eyes widened and she turned her attention on Lelouch.

"You were asking about her in the car!" Lelouch marvelled the fact that Kallen's hair seemed to be on fire when she was angry. "That means you- you and her-"Lelouch was left spluttering at her wide eyes accusation as even Suzaku looked startled at the turn of events.

"Oh really Lelouch? You missed me so much?" Of course CC wasn't helping the situation much. The slight smirk on her lips clearly gave out the sign that she was hugely amused by the situation and her eyes held glee at seeing Lelouch cornered.

"W-Whu? NO!" Lelouch shot back as soon as he regained his senses and napped out of his shock and disgusts. "Me and thi- this witch?" Lelouch might respect CC and consider her as his closest ally and even as a trustworthy friend but nothing more than that. She was older than his great- great-great grandparents.

"But that wasn't what you said the last time we met my dear Warlock." He felt the sudden urge to strangle CC despite claiming her to be his ally. It didn't help that Kallen and Suzaku seemed to believe her.

Taking a deep breath, Lelouch organized his thoughts and calmed himself down.

"Listen." Once he was sure that he had the attention of the couple, he continued,"CC is merely an accomplice. A friend at most."

"Accomplice?" Kallen didn't seem convinced.

"She is here to help me get out of my engagement with the Empress." At that both Suzaku and Kallen stilled and stared at Lelouch with wide eyes. But CC merely titled her head and looked at him curiously.

"I don't remember offering my help for-"

"You got me in this mess so you are getting me out of this." Lelouch hissed.

CC just raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed at Lelouch's anger.

"You want to break off of the wedd-" Suzaku started but Kallen quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and glanced behind them. The balcony doors were open and Lelouch could see people milling about. Though they were left alone for now there was no saying what kind of eavesdroppers were listening into their conversation.

"And should I ask what prompted this decision?" Lelouch resisted the urge to groan when Kallen continued to glare at CC. He should've known that Kallen would think that there was something going on between both of them. "When we tried to talk you out of it you didn't-"

"You tried to talk me out of it?" Lelouch cut in looking at Suzaku and Kallen.

"Of course we did! Don't you remember? Marriage should be done because of love not because of political gains." Suzaku explained heatedly. Lelouch resisted the urge to smile at the idealistic Suzaku he remembered. He wondered if Suzaku hadn't met Euphie in his original dimension would he have ended up with Kallen. Or would being on the opposite sides of the battlefield stop them?

"Lelouch are you listening?" Giving a sheepish smile to Kallen he straightened up keeping an eye on the doors. The party still seemed to be in full swing.

"Well, looks like I changed my mind. I don't want to get married to a girl who I can compare to Nunnally." Lelouch stated firmly though he was careful to keep his voice low.

"Isn't it a bit too late for that?" Kallen folded her arms across her chest. "If you would've said it yesterday also the situation would be salvageable but you are telling us now! Tomorrow is your wedding in case you don't remember." Lelouch nearly balked at that.

"Well well… looks like we have got quite a situation on our hands." CC was now sitting on the railing and swinging her legs about as she glanced at Lelouch with amusement dancing in her golden eyes. He merely glared at her. "Why don't you talk with the Empress herself?" C.C suggested lightly.

They gaped at her. She rolled her eyes. "Go and talk with the Empress and ask about her opinion on the marriage. Maybe she is as against this as you are."

Lelouch frowned, beginning to open his mouth in protest before closing it as he came to a realization. C.C's grinned at him. "I see you have understood." Lelouch just mutely stared at her.

"Understood what?" Kallen didn't like being kept out of the loop.

CC didn't reply but merely got down, dusted her dress before gliding towards the party. But before crossing the doors she turned back with a smirk on her face. "Good luck with you chance." With that she disappeared into the crowd.

Lelouch merely stared after her. "What did she mean by that?" Suzaku asked turning back towards Lelouch.

Milly arrived out of nowhere. "Lelouch!" She came to an abrupt stop when she saw who else were there.

"They know." Lelouch said.

"Oh good then. I found out something from Kaguya." She stepped aside and from behind her Kaguya was visible.

"Lelouch-sama!" Luckily Lelouch had braced himself for impact and was able to regain his balance.

"Lady Kaguya." He frowned. Why had Milly bought Kaguya with her? Kaguya was a very close friend of the Empress Tianzi and he didn't think it would be safe for her to get involved. Especially not when she was as devious as Milly.

(Maybe it was only the fact that her cunningness rivalled Milly's that made Lelouch hesitate and not the fact that she was friends with Tianzi)

"What did you find out?" Kallen apparently was the only one who had heard that part of the sentence. Everyone turned to look at Lady Kaguya. She giggled (and to Lelouch it sounded more menacing than a villains evil laugh) and looked at them.

Leaning forward as if divulging a great secret, she whispered. "Tianzi is in love with someone else."

Everyone's jaw dropped at that revelation (except for Lelouch and Milly)

"Wait a minute! So Lelouch isn't the only one with a lover here?!" Kallen raged and Suzaku hurriedly slapped a hand on her mouth to quiet her down lest someone else herd them.

"Oh ho. So Prince Lelouch already has a special someone for him?" Apparently someone did hear Kallen. He sauntered into the balcony, blue eyes gleaming with excitement. A pink haired girl trailed in behind him her eyes alight with curiosity (And it wasn't an expression Lelouch had ever seen on her face)

Lelouch growled at the implication but Milly just raised an eyebrow at him- the look on her face promising a very thorough interrogation later.

"Gino! Anya! What perfect timing." At the flabbergasted looks other were giving her Milly shrugged. "We need all the help we can get to pull this off. And I'm sure that they are not going to say anything to anyone riiiight?" Milly turned to the duo smiling sweetly (too sweetly; she may give others diabetes) and they sweat dropped.

"Of course not Ms. Ashford. We would never even dream of doing such a thing!" Gino chirped while Anya nodded in agreement.

"Who is she in love with?" Suzaku whispered.

At that everyone turned to look at Kaguya again. Lelouch rolled his eyes. He knew who that person was. After all, even in his previous life they had loved each other and in this life too he had seen how Xingke reacted to the marriage proposal….

"Wait a minute!" Lelouch blurted out. Everyone frowned at him, Gino and Anya made shushing noises but he ignored them. This was a political marriage to bind two nations together. In a way it wasn't any different from the marriage between Odysseus and Tianzi in his dimension. And Xingke had tried to rescue the Empress by-

"We need more people don't we?" He asked, a victorious smile blooming on his face as the gears in his mind began turning and he started to form and discard plans as quickly as he did while he had been Zero.

Kaguya nodded.

"I am going to gather a few more people who I think will be helpful to us in this. Who already have a plan actually." Lelouch ignored everyone's look of surprised and began making his way back into the party. "Find a place where a meeting can be held without anyone eavesdropping on us. I will be back with the allies."

And he sauntered out a plan forming in his head.

(Because there was no way he was getting married to a child no matter what dimension)

 **Author Notes: Over! And this was just the first part. There is another chapter- the last one where Lelouch's other family members are included. When will I upload that? I don't really know. Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: Of Secret Meetings and Speculations**_

They were all seated in a room far away from the celebration. They didn't have much time; soon someone or the other would notice that these people were missing and a search party would be sent out.

"Where is Lelouch?" Suzaku asked looking around at the occupants. His wife, Kallen Kururugi was tapping her fingers on the table impatiently (And Suzaku swore he could see steam coming out from her ears as she murmured something under her breath) The ever devious duo of Milly and Kaguya didn't look even a bit apprehensive as they chatted together about the latest fashion statements made by some girly magazine. Gino and Anya were huddled together with Gino sporting a large grin on his face (as usual) and Anya busy with her phone/ camcorder.

Suzaku, on the other hand, was a mixture of confusion, flabbergasted and – dare he admit it- relieved. (Of the fact that Lelouch had come to his senses before he actually got married to Tianzi.) But he too questioned what made Lelouch change his mind so suddenly. He knew Lelouch for the past 8 years and he knew that Lelouch never ever budged from his decisions no matter what. So to see him suddenly take a U- turn was something new even for Suzaku.

It may have had something to do with that lime-haired woman but he knew that Lelouch was not romantically involved with her. Lelouch seemed rather frustrated by her and she too didn't seem too keen on helping Lelouch to get out of the engagement. Instead she seemed to be helping the flames burn stronger.

"How much more do we have to wait?" It was Kallen who burst out, tired of waiting. Suzaku thought it would be wise to move away from the fuming red head before she spontaneously combusts. He did love her but there was no denying that she scared him when she was like this.

"Sorry for the delay." Suzaku sighed in relief as Lelouch entered followed by CC who looked amused. Lelouch on the other hand had a blank expression on his face. But Suzaku's attention was quickly drawn away from those two and to the people who entered behind them. He felt his jaw drop open.

There was Li Xingke and his brown haired subordinate along with-

Just what the hell?

"Tianzi!" Kaguya had rushed to hug the small girl who looked a bit scared at the sheer amount of people in the room.

Suzaku blinked rapidly trying to make sense of the situation. The only thing that came in his mind was-

"What?" His wife stole the words from his mind. Kallen frowned and Suzaku scooted away a bit more. "What is the Empress doing here?"

"She is here to help with the plan." Lelouch evenly replied keeping that blank mask on his face. Suzaku tried to catch his eye but it looked like Lelouch was deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone. Sighing, he gave up and decided to have a talk with Lelouch after this all settled. Lelouch sat at the head of the table and the others took seats around it. Li Xingke was sitting near the Empress.

"So, I am sure everyone here knows why we are all gathered here." Lelouch began as CC lounged beside him a bit away from the table and observed everything with her golden cat-like eyes. She was eating pizza (and Suzaku had to pause and wonder from where had she got pizza from)

"Actually we don't." Gino lifted his hand and looked around the table. "All we know are disjointed accounts of how Prince Lelouch no longer wants to marry the Empress because he is in love-"

"I am not in love with anyone!" Lelouch burst in glaring at Gino. Suzaku sighed. He could clearly see that Lelouch had absolutely no interest in the green haired girl sitting beside him but the other couldn't. (Or even if they did, they ignored it; this was especially true for Milly and Kaguya)

"So he claims." Kallen muttered. She got up and looked out the window presumably for any sign of soldiers searching for them. Suzaku knew it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for them. Especially if Schneizel was there. He was too damn smart and suspicious for his own good.

"It would've been easier if you would've just declined it in the first place." Li Xingke pointed out. Suzaku turned back to the conversation going on just in time to see the twitch on Lelouch's face and the broadening smirk on CC's.

"He couldn't possibly deny it. He had seen her photo and was completely smitten- but I think it was her size that disappointed him." CC explained in a monotonous voice while Lelouch spluttered. Li Xingke actually looked like he believed what CC was telling him. (Suzaku would too, with the straight face she was keeping. But he fortunately knew Lelouch for a very long time and knew that there wasn't anything to what CC had said)

"What? You dare discriminate woman on basis of their size?!" It was Kallen who burst out, whirling to face Lelouch with a heated glare. He could nearly see Lelouch mentally cower at the sight of the fiery demon glaring at him. Suzaku choked on a laugh.

"Kallen. I really don't think that Lelouch meant any disrespect to Lady Tianzi." Suzaku shot Lelouch a look.

"Ah? Y-yes yes of course." Lelouch smiled (though if one looked closely it was the smile of the person who was asked to tap dance on glass shards), "I hadn't meant any offense to Lady Tianzi by my statement. In fact, I haven't said anything close to something degrading like that. CC is just sprouting nonsense." He hissed out the last bit turning to glare heatedly at the lime haired girl who had a magically summoned a pizza out of thin air was now relishing it and thus not paying any attention to Lelouch.

"But why now?" Li Xingke asked. Suzaku faced the General and fought the urge to frown. What was the General of the Chinese Army doing here? Was this one of the allies that Lelouch was talking about? But why would Li Xingke help them break the marriage that could just give the Chinese Federation the boost they needed?

"As you might all know this is Li Xingke, the Commander of the Chinese Army as well as Lady Tianzi's love interest. And therefore our ally." If there was an award for the biggest collective mouth drop in history than it would have surely gone to the occupants in the room who looked like they had just seen Charles zi Britannia perform tango with nothing but a tutu.

Suzaku couldn't help but deepen the frown and wonder. Wasn't it paedophilia? He was sure that Li Xingke was older than Naoto who was 5 years older to Kallen. Lelouch was adamant on not marrying Tianzi though she was only 2 years smaller than him because he considered her too young but he was willingly giving her away to Xingke who was old enough to be her very elder brother. Or maybe even her father.

"And here I thought I had seen everything after the party in Vegas with Emperor Charles hip-"

"Don't you dare complete that sentence." Anya interrupted looking a little green in the face at the mention of that particular memory. Suzaku was sure that he too resembled his friends. That was one memory that was better locked away in the far, dark corner of his mind never to be resurfaced again. He didn't think he could again take the mental trauma. He noticed Lelouch looking at them in slight confusion while the other occupants just raised an eyebrow.

Suzaku just shook his head before asking, "What-"

"Lelouch?" Euphie entered. "What's going on here?" Naoto followed behind Euphie his eyes automatically going wide at the large number of people gathered in the room. Suzaku very nearly groaned at the new additions. It seemed like half the party was going to end up in this room at the rate they were going.

"Is everything alright? Is there some kind of security threat?" Suzaku could see Naoto reeling himself up for a fight.

"Of course not." Lelouch cut in smoothly Suzaku noted that Lelouch didn't look too affected by their presence. It meant that he was the one who had called them here.

"I called you both here is because your help is needed." Lelouch continued (quite dramatically if you asked Suzaku; was it only him or was Lelouch acting more dramatic than usual?).

"Help? With what?" Euphie asked and Naoto didn't let his guard down. Which was very right for him to do so Suzaku had to agree.

"With breaking my engagement."

There was silence for a few moments. Suzaku could nearly hear the gears in their heads turning. Oh, and he could also hear CC chewing on the last piece of her pizza. (If she consumed that much pizza on daily basis why wasn't she becoming any fatter? Suzaku had to wonder and not for the first time)

"Alright." Suzaku jumped in surprise at the calm tone with which Naoto agreed with Lelouch request. Even Lelouch himself seemed surprised with the easiness of convincing Naoto. "The game is up." Even Euphie looked lost.

"I know that this is a hidden camera show and I have already been a victim of one so this won't work on me anymore!" Naoto jumped up on the able and pointed at all the corners of the room one by one. You might've roped me into coming here but you will never ever fool me even if you have them on your side." He then proceeded to point at all of them present.

Alas, he made a mistake at pointing at Kallen. Now Suzaku knew that Kallen was normally very patient (yeah, right)- fine, more patient than now- normally. But this had been a very weird night what with Lelouch acting weirdly, CC turning up and all the mentions of paedophilia. So Kallen reacted as any sensible (blood thirsty) woman would react. She caught Naoto's finger and twisted it around before flinging him over her shoulder and into the wall behind her. Suzaku was sure that if no one knew about their secret meeting they would've found out by now.

"Ow….." The crater in the wall would have to be added to the bills.

"I would normally defend him but even I have to agree that he deserved it. After all, he should know better than anyone else that angering an irritated Kallen is not the best way to die." Euphie whispered to Suzaku as she took a seat beside him.

"Now that is out of the way, will you continue telling us your oh-so-brilliant plan?" Kallen's tone was cheerful and Lelouch looked even more petrified than before. And he had every reason to. If angry Kallen was scary then cheerful Kallen was bone chilling. Suzaku smiled reassuringly as Lelouch trying to nudge the conversation forward. (But he made sure to scotch away from Kallen in case she decided that he brother wasn't enough of a casualty and needed something- or someone- else to remove her anger on)

"Ah- yeah – um, I was saying before we were interrupted. "Lelouch glanced at Naoto before talking, "this engagement needs to be broken."

There was a light chorus of agreement.

"Are you really sure about that? I mean she is still a cute little loli-"

"Don't you dare complete the sentence." Lelouch hissed out.

Meanwhile Li Xingke looked at CC in confusion. "Who are you? I don't remember seeing you around." Lelouch merely gritted his teeth while CC smirked.

"I just came here to see the love of my life." CC stated and everyone's jaw dropped and all their gazes turned to Lelouch automatically assuming he was the one she was talking about. Noticing the looks Lelouch spluttered, "She isn't talking about me she-"

"Lelouch, you can stop pretending now. We all know the truth and we don't have a problem with it." Suzaku said in placating tone though Lelouch looked like he wanted to strangle him. And maybe run him over a few times with his Knightmare frame. Since he lacked the physical strength to do so (and he would have to face Kallen's wrath if he attempted to do so) he settled for glaring at Suzaku.

"I am not-"

"Is my honeybuns feeling a bit shy?" CC cooed in a voice that suggested that she was having a lot of fun with this.

Lelouch felt like crying.

(But he was Lelouch Lamperouge, the Ice Prince, Lelouch vi Britannia, the 11th Prince as well as the Emperor of Britannia, Zero, the man of miracles. He had a reputation to uphold)

Lelouch pulled a face and decided to forget that this ever happened.

"Let us not stray from our current discussion." Lelouch took a deep breath. "We need to wrap this up soon before they find out that we are missing."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Li Xingke asked. Lelouch mentally thanked the man for not diverting his attention from the topic.

"We will stick to the plan you originally concocted." Lelouch declared. At that everyone turned to face him.

"The plan he originally concocted?" Euphie asked.

"How- How did you know about that?" Li Xingke's comrade asked, surprise evident on her face.

"How I know about that doesn't matter. " Lelouch waved a hand and turned to face Kallen and the others. "Since they already have a plan in place we just need to help them with it."

"What is the plan?" Naoto, seemingly returned to the world of living, made his way (limping) to the table where everyone had gathered. He took a seat on other side of Euphie careful to stay away from Kallen.

Lelouch smirked. "They are going to kidnap the Empress from the wedding alter." Crickets could be heard in the background.

"What?" Li Xingke spoke out. "From where did you get that idea?"

All of them were staring at Lelouch in shock and surprise. "Wh- wait. So you are not going to kidnap the Empress from the wedding altar?" Lelouch frowned in confusion. According to his memory, last time Li Xingke wanted to save the Empress from an arranged marriage he had kidnapped her. (Of course, Zero had taken advantage of the fact and kidnapped her himself but that was beside the point)

"You forget Lelouch, this world isn't at war. There are more simple solutions. Zero may have capitalized on Li Xingke's plan in that dimension but you cannot do the same over here." CC whispered in Lelouch's ear as she draped herself over him. Lelouch grimaced at the unwanted contacted but took in what she said.

"Oh." That made sense. Britannia had no pressing need for marrying him to Empress Tianzi here. There, with the Black Knights on the rise and war looming in the horizon they had to bring the Chinese Federation to their sides or eliminate them.

"If you people have fished you lovey-dovey business can we get back to work?" Kallen's irritated voice cut in through Lelouch's musings and Lelouch noticed that CC was still draped all over him. Blinking he pushed CC away and glared at her. She merely took a seat and began to eat her pizza. Lelouch warily glanced the other occupants in the room. There was no changing their mind about him and CC now.

'But when I mentioned the plan Li Xingke seemed surprised. That means there is a plan.' Lelouch thought triumph.

"What is your plan then?" Lelouch asked.

At that, Li Xingke blushed. Lelouch blinked. He had never seen the man smile properly let alone blush.

"Well.." Li Xingke cleared his throat his cheeks still pink.

"We decided to run away and get married!" Tianzi broke in clutching Li Xingke's arm. Lelouch felt his mouth drop open. A runaway marriage. He glanced at the other occupants in the room who had the same reaction as him.

"Wait…. So you are just going to run away and marry and then go off into the sunset?" Kallen asked flabbergasted.

"Someone has been seeing a lot of B class films lately- Ow!" Naoto cried out as Kallen glowered at him with her arms rose threateningly promising a second punch if he didn't shut up. Suzaku shot a sympathetic look at Naoto but didn't intervene. He knew better than getting in Kallen's way when she was angry and he had known her less time than Naoto. (And he was rather impressed with the fact that she had managed to land suck a solid punch despite Suzaku and Euphie being between them.)

Lelouch, as he was expertly doing, ignored them.

"Why can't we just break off the engagement?" Lelouch asked frowning. CC was right. There had to be more simple solutions to this problem. And since there were no wars or anything like that there was no need to take any drastic measures. Lelouch really doubted that the Chinese Federation would attack Britannia if they rejected the proposal.

But at his question most of the rooms exchanged looks. Lelouch noted that Suzaku was looking especially flustered and embarrassed. "Am I missing something?"

"You really don't remember?" Euphie cut in shock seeping into her voice. At Lelouch's blank look Kaguya giggled and Milly smiled wickedly.

"I think the event traumatised Lelouch-sama so much that he blocked it from his mind." Lelouch didn't like the look on Milly's or Kaguya's face.

"What event?" On the other hand he also didn't like the look on CC's face as she leaned forward and kept aside her pizza to ask the question. Her eyes had the look of someone who would use this to their fullest advantage to embarrass the crap out of him later. (He knew that it was unsettling by itself how used to the looks he was; but spending time with Milly, CC and sometimes even Suzaku he knew that it was as bad as it sounded)

"Just forget about it Lelouch- it's just- it's old news." Suzaku cut in embarrassment showing.

Now Lelouch's curiosity was piqued. What event were they talking about? Was it worse than any festivals or events Milly had planned to torture/ embarrass him? He didn't think such a thing could exist. And why was Suzaku so flustered over it? Lelouch wanted to know more about what they were going on about but his curiosity waged a war with his self-preservation instincts that warned him that he wouldn't like the aftermath.

Curiosity won.

"What event are you people talking about? Tell me."

"The kiss." The way it was whispered made Lelouch shiver. He felt like he was a character in a horror film who was going to find out the truth about the ghost. And get killed in the process.

"What?"

"On National and International TV." Milly added as others nodded.

"This much ado about a kiss unless….." the Cheshire cat grin was back on CC's face and Lelouch didn't like it one bit. Her eyes rested on Suzaku. "And who did darling little Lelouch kiss?" Lelouch was a hundred percent sure that even the Cheshire cat didn't grin as wide as CC was grinning right now. She looked the cat who had got the canary. Or the witch who had got her pizza.

"Suzaku of course." At that Lelouch mouth dropped open for the umpteenth time that day.

He heard Suzaku groan and without even looking at Suzaku he could imagine his friend burying his face in his hands in embarrassment. He frankly wanted to dig a hole, crawl in it and die. But he would need help to dig a hole and Suzaku would be the first one he would go to but Suzaku was the reason why he wanted to go into the hole in the first place so it would be beyond awkward for him to go-

"I think he's in shock." Euphie commented lightly as she got up from her place and proceeded to wave her hand in front of Lelouch's eyes. Lelouch on the other hand didn't give any indication or response and continued to stare blankly ahead.

Kallen calmly got up from her seat and approached Lelouch. Everyone knew what was going to happen.

Thwack!

"Wake up you idiot! We have work to do." Kallen stood with her hands on her hips oddly reminding others of a drill sergeant as Lelouch toppled to the floor. CC burst out in laughter.

"So what does that have to do with rejecting a proposal?"

"Well, before the world only thought you were gay. If you reject this proposal it will be confirmed that you are indeed gay and it will reflect badly on the image of the Britannian Empire." Milly explained slowly.

"Though I have to admit. Lelouch-sama looks perfect for the part of the gay uke!" Kaguya squealed. Lelouch's ace turned pale. He also knew he was a bit more on the feminine side especially in the looks basis but never had anyone dared to point it out so blatantly and calling him an uke on top of that!

"Kaguya! Can you please stop?!" Suzaku gritted his teeth as he glared at his cousin.

"But she is completely right you know. Between you both Lelouch would be the uke and Suzaku would be the seme." Milly nodded sagely like she was delivering some divine knowledge. "What do you think Kallen?"

Kallen stumbled back a few step and blushed red. Suzaku knew that out of all the people Kallen was the most sensible- despite having slight anger management issues- and would never participate in such-

"Well, Lelouch can be quite dominating and cunning when he wants to be so it is quite possible he may be the seme and Suzaku the uke." And that's when Suzaku's brain decided to shut down. He could take a huge number of things but this- this- his own wife speculating about him and Lelouch him was a bit too much to bear.

Especially when she was considering him to be the uke.

Gino had nearly wet himself with laughter and Anya was taking a photo of everyone's reaction. Lelouch was still lying on the ground since Kallen hit him and had yet to resurface.

"Well, I am feeling quite heartbroken now." CC didn't look even partly heartbroken. Instead her face was set in the characteristic Cheshire grin as she gazed at Suzaku with interest. "Really Kururugi, if I had known that you and Lelouch were an exclusive item I would have sunk my claws into Kallen."

"Huh what?!" Kallen spluttered. CC just smirked and bit into a new piece of Pizza.

Suzaku silently wondered when she had bought another box all while glaring at her ferociously.

"My, aren't you going to deny what I said?" CC asked the smirk still in place. Milly and Kaguya blinked, exchanged looks and then simultaneously squealed.

Suzaku winced as his head hit the table with a loud bang. "Kururugi, are you gay?" The hand holding his neck with his face pressed down on the unforgiving wooden surface tightened a little.

Now, this was insulting.

Suzaku had not come here to have his own wife doubt him.

"What do you think Kallen?" Suzaku managed to grit out as his face made personal acquaintance with the wooden table. He wondered if he acted like he had fainted- like he was sure Lelouch was doing now to avoid this chaos- if Kallen would leave him alone.

"After everything that has happened I am not sure anymore." Kallen replied.

"Enough!" Kallen's grip loosened and Suzaku quickly took his chance to scoot away from her and towards Euphie who was observing everything with slight amusement and shot him a pitiful look. He made a face and she giggled. He decided that he would stick to Euphie until Kallen's anger simmered down a bit. It was a god thing that he knew Euphie for a long time to be comfortable enough with her without it being too awkward.

Of course there had been a phase when he and Euphie were convinced that they were in love with each other- and maybe they had been but then they met Kallen and Naoto while they had gone Sakura viewing together and Suzaku had fallen hard for Kallen. Euphie had been heartbroken when Suzaku revealed this to her but she accepted it gracefully and after a few weeks got together with Naoto. Suzaku had thought that was a rebound but after a long conversation they both had come to the conclusion that they loved the Kouzuki's too much for it to be anything else.

(Of course there were days when Suzaku wondered how it would have been if he had stayed with Euphie; he was still in love with her but his love for Kallen outshined his love for Euphie so he never regretted his decision to marry Kallen)

"This is getting out of hand." Li Xingke glared at everyone present as Lelouch got up from the floor and straightened himself. He didn't even glance at Suzaku and Suzaku felt himself frown. Lelouch was his best friend and the kiss was just a small misunderstanding and a drunken mistake- nothing more, nothing less. They had decided to about it and the world actually did forget about it when he married Kallen a few months ago. But this would just cause a rift between them and that was one thing Suzaku didn't want.

He had to have a talk with Lelouch after this mess was sorted out.

"I agree." Lelouch voice was monotonous and his face was blank. Suzaku wondered when Lelouch had managed to perfect his poker face. He was even better at it than Schneizel. "Time is running out and we must get back to the part before anyone comes looking for us. But before that we would need a plan."

"But they already have a plan don't they?" Naoto pointed out. "Let's just roll with that."

"That's easier said than done. The plan has too many potholes and chances of being caught are high." Lelouch stated. "That is if did it only by themselves."

"So you are trying to imply that we help them in running away and getting married?" Kallen asked slowly.

Lelouch didn't look the least intimidated as he nodded and continued. "If we help them carry out the plan the chances of success will definitely be much higher."

"Well, of course we should help them if that is what they really want." Euphie stated glancing at the General and Empress who were sitting side by side. Suzaku supressed a shudder at the image. It was still too disturbing for him. But if that was what they wanted then….

"So do you have a plan in mind?" Milly asked, leaning forward a smirk on her lips. Lelouch wore an identical smirk as he nodded.

CC glanced around the table with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Things are starting to get interesting."

 **Author Notes:** **it was originally supposed t be a two-shot but this chapter was getting too long so I split it into half. I am aware of the inconsistencies in writing and how it switches from Lelouch's to Suzaku's and then back to Lelouch's point of view. I apologize for that but it was done deliberately. I hope you enjoyed reading. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **I do now own Code Geass!**

 **Author Notes:** **It was lying unedited in my folder and I at last decided to edit and post it. It may seem rushed at some part and this is mostly a filler chapter. Nothing significant happens here but I still wanted to put it out. The last line is the only significant thing. Kudos!**

 **Chapter 3: Of Siblings and Friendship**

Suzaku wasn't sure of this at all. Normally he was headstrong and confident and he nearly always supported Lelouch. Even when he didn't support the decisions Lelouch took he made sure to let Lelouch know it very clearly. But this time he had done neither. He wasn't even a bit confident in the plan nor did he talk about it to Lelouch. The latter could be chalked up to the fact that Lelouch had all but disappeared after the 'secret' meeting. So had CC.

Suzaku- and everyone else- had a lot of questions for them but it was easier to find the Easter bunny than to find them. So it was with a heavy heart that Suzaku trudged up to the main palace. He knew for a fact that Lelouch had no interest in CC any more than he had interest in Anya but the others were not so easily convinced after all the remarks made and the show CC had put on.

But Suzaku knew Lelouch for the past many years and he was absolutely sure that he would know if the boy was in love with anyone. And it wasn't like Lelouch to fall in love so suddenly. If he had been with CC before the marriage proposal he would have never agreed to it in the first place. But who was CC anyway? Suzaku had never seen her and he was sure that she wasn't any of the noble's daughters. She didn't even look completely Britannian but she had an easy familiarity with Lelouch that was very visible despite his irritation towards her.

Suzaku rubbed her head. All this thinking was making his head hurt.

It didn't help that Lelouch was refusing to talk to him. He always shared an easy rapport with Lelouch despite their completely opposite personalities and he really didn't understand what had happened in the time he had last seen Lelouch to cause such a big change in his friend.

Suzaku pursed his lips. The wedding was tomorrow. It supposed to be today but was postponed to the next day due to some security concerns- which he was sure was Li Xingke's doing.

And he needed to speak with Lelouch.

Straightening out his stance he marched towards Lelouch room with his goal clear on his mind. He was going to speak to Lelouch today and find out what was wrong. No way he was taking no for an answer. Despite their radically different personalities the one trait they both shared was stubbornness.

With a deep breath, he raised his hand to knock on the door. It was time to get some answers.

* * *

Kallen Kouzuki was not a happy woman. She guessed it had something to do with the revelations that came out the previous night but she had to admit that the whole trip was one big disaster.

It irked her even more when she realized that the disaster could have been easily avoided if Lelouch had the thought of not accepting the proposal in the first place instead of bowing out at the absolute last moment. They were lucky that Xingke was able to fake of a security problem and postpone the wedding to the next day so that could work out the finer details of the plan.

"Isn't this exciting?"

Part of why she was not a happy woman was the girl that was bouncing beside her. Euphemia li Britannia was the typical kind hearted, air headed princess that Kallen loathed. She didn't personally have any problem with the girl but it was more of a general hatred towards her personality types.

It was probably a small bit because of the fact that she used to date Suzaku before.

Kallen Kouzuki was not a jealous woman by any means but she was quite possessive about things that were hers and even though she knew that Euphie was as pure as they come and Suzaku loved only her there was a small, insecure, tightly locked up, pessimistic part of her that was always worried that one day Suzaku would be gone and would end up with Euphie.

Even though the likeness of the situation happening was close to none given that she was married to Suzaku and that her brother would soon be married to Euphie she couldn't help but worry a teeny tiny bit.

"I am sure that Suzaku would be with Lelouch right now talking to him about his decision and all." It didn't help that Euphie knew how Suzaku felt and how he would act and the obvious love between them despite the Break up.

Kallen merely grunted.

Euphie raised an eyebrow and tilted her head curiously. "You hate me don't you?"

Kallen was stunned into silence for a few moments before she remembered that she was supposed to be denying the charge rather than staring open mouthed at Euphie's face

"What? No of course not why would I-"

"Well maybe hate is too strong a word." Euphie conceded. "You are not particularly fond of me."

"It's not like that. Not at all. It isn't you or any problem with you-" Kallen floundered, feeling completely and utterly flustered.

"It's because of Suzaku isn't it?" Kallen stopped talking and resisted the urge to glare at the girl. It was the second time she had interrupted Kallen and Kallen wasn't happy.

"What do you mean?" It came out sharper than she had intended to sound.

Euphie had a small smile on her face as she turned away from Kallen and studied the flowers. The Gardens were beautiful at this time of the year but it was no reason to ignore Kallen and stare at them in middle of a very important conversation.

"I may not be as smart as Lelouch but I am not blind you know." Euphie began conversationally. "Just because you are good at hiding it doesn't mean I didn't notice it. I might have ignored it and thought it was my imagination of Nunnally hadn't confirmed it."

Kallen blinked in surprise. She knew Nunnally and had talked to the Princess a few times but she wasn't that close to her and didn't know she had noticed that something was wrong. Not that there was anything wrong of course.

"There is nothing to confirm." Kallen scowled forgetting her forceful smile for now.

"Kallen." Euphie turned to face her. "I love Naoto."

Kallen blinked at the raw honesty on Euphie's face. "I admit that when you first got together I was jealous. But that too dissipated when Lelouch talked to me one day." Euphie blushed. "Let's just say he wasn't very happy with me being sad and depressed instead of happy about you and Suzaku."

"Lelouch talked to you?" Kallen never thought that the pretty boy would bother with anything that wasn't related to him or his younger sister but then she knew how much he and Suzaku cared about each other no matter how vehemently they tried to deny it. Kallen didn't like the young prince much because of his arrogant attitude but she had to admit that when it came to the people he cared about he was equally loyal as Suzaku was.

"Yeah he did. Knocked some sense into me." Euphie smiled sheepishly. "Then I met Naoto and well," she waved her hand. "Rest is history."

Kallen stared at the young girl for a few moments before breaking out into a smile. "You should have said so before."

"So does that mean you were jealous?"

"What? No, no of course not." Euphie giggled and even Kallen cracked a smile.

It seemed like the flowers weren't the only things blossoming.

* * *

Clovis la Britannia loved weddings. He loved any kind of occasion but especially weddings. There was something special about them that made the artist in him sing with joy.

"You look happy."

His fiancé's voice broke him out of his reverie and he turned to look at her. She looked radiant in her light blue shirt and blouse that was more professional than artistic. He knew that she liked reporting and so he had given her a free reign to do whatever she wanted to until their marriage. Not that it would have mattered if he tried to stop her; it wasn't like she would have listened to him anyways.

"Weddings are always a cause for celebration don't you think?" He asked as he turned back to his painting. He was sitting on the balcony and painting the gardens below that was a bright splash of color which suited his mood perfectly.

Milly hummed in agreement as she came to stand beside him. "But it depends on how willing the involved parties are doesn't it?" She asked. Clovis froze mid stroke and frowned. Being a reporter had given Milly rare insight through which she could spot the undercurrents of emotions behind anything.

"You think that Lelouch and the Empress aren't happy with this arrangement?" He asked, placing his brush down. He didn't want his confusion to reflect in his painting so he shifted his attention towards Milly. He knew that it was more a marriage for political convenience than anything else but Lelouch had shown no signs of regretting it. His and Milly's engagement too had been an arrangement initially but they had luckily fallen in love along the way.

He really wasn't sure if his bratty brother was capable of love unfortunately.

"I can't speak for the Empress but Lelouch may be having second thoughts about this." Milly confessed. Clovis gaped at her.

"Second thoughts?" He asked wary. He knew that this engagement wasn't as important as everyone thought it was but it would still damage their reputation to break the engagement in the last minute. He doubted the Chinese Federation would be too happy with them.

But it had been Lelouch who had agreed to it in the first place so it didn't make sense for him to back out of it now. Unless…..

"Don't tell me that there is really something going on between my brother and Suzaku Kururugi." He groaned at the thought of another scandal. The last one involving his brother and Kururugi had resulted in every person of the Britannian Family being hounded by the pesky reporters. Who were kind of like Milly but then Milly was his fiancé so she didn't count. It wasn't until Milly took a special interview of Lelouch that cleared up everything once and for all that the reporters stopped hounding them. And even then there were still occasional mentions of it on the T.V as a passing joke.

It was hard to guess which was scarier. The fact that the reporters were so interested in their love life or the fact that they actually wanted Suzaku and Lelouch to end up together.

He shuddered at the memory of the fan arts, fanfiction and other things that had popped up after that incident. Even though the fan arts were top notch it as fan art of his brother and his best friend in inappropriate positions. It was more than Clovis could handle.

"It's nothing like that unfortunately." Clovis smartly decided to ignore the disappointment in Milly's tone. "But he is wondering if the Empress would be happy." He frowned in confusion. "He thinks that she already loves someone else."

He blinked. "What?"

Milly nodded. "Yes, she didn't outright say it but Lelouch picked it up anyways."

"My brother learnt to read the ladies?" He was still feeling a bit skeptical but when Milly narrowed her eyes at him he gulped.

"Are you really going to stop a love story from taking place?" She demanded with her hands on her hips. Clovis reflected that she looked absolutely attractive like this but he knew that telling that to her in this condition wouldn't do anything to calm her down.

"What love story?"

"The one between the Empress and her mysterious lover." She grinned widely. "Don't you think it would be interesting to unite them?"

Interesting wasn't the word Clovis would have used but he didn't try to correct Milly. And he did think that it would be truly inspiring to get two star crossed lovers together against all odds. "Do you think they will let me paint them when they get married?" He mused out loud. He mostly painted Nobles in arranged marriages and he had to admit that it was a disappointment. He would like to paint a love story; a painting that would reflect the pain they went through and the obstacles they had to conquer to end up together. For that, he would require live specimens.

If Milly found his statement strange she didn't show it and merely smiled. "If you help them then I am sure they will." Clovis eyes sparkled at the thought of all the portraits he could make.

Since he was imagining the joy he would derive from painting such a masterpiece he completely missed the smirk that had slid on Milly's face. If he had noticed then he would've shrunk back with fear and might've denied getting involved with the plan but he didn't and so he too was roped into the chaos that would soon unfold.

* * *

Suzaku blinked at Lelouch's condition. He looked positively _ragged._ There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he had aged ages since yesterday. Suzaku opened his mouth to question it but Lelouch shook his head and gestured towards the bed.

Suzaku took a step back when he noticed CC spread eagle shaped on the middle of the bed.

It explained a lot. Especially why Lelouch had to decided to camp on the sofa.

Suzaku was expecting many things when he entered the room but this was not one of them.

If there had been any doubt in Suzaku's mind about their relationship it was gone when Lelouch marched towards the bed and screamed, "Wake up, Witch!" Suzaku had never seen Lelouch scream. He saw Lelouch cry (courtesy of Nunnally), whine (courtesy of Schneizel), plead (courtesy of Lady Marianne) and even turn icy cold (courtesy of too many people to count himself included) but he never ever witnessed Lelouch lose his cool in such an obvious manner.

But while he was stunned into silence the green haired woman only glared at the source of disturbance before burying herself back into pillows.

Suzaku stood in shock as Lelouch growled (well this wasn't anything new) and pushed her off the bed. The loud thump made Suzaku wince as he took a step back and eyed his friend warily. Lelouch had a satisfied and scary grin on his face that made Suzaku wonder if he had finally lost his mind.

CC merely got up, glared at Lelouch, and glanced at Suzaku before stalking out of the room. Suzaku merely stood frozen near the doorway as Lelouch calmly turned towards him and gave him a sweet smile.

"Now we can talk."

Suzaku eyed the bird nest hair, panda eyes and ruffled clothes. "Don't you think it would be better if you washed up first?"

Lelouch waved his hand carelessly and said, "We will have time for it later." Suzaku through sheer willpower controlled the dropping of his jaw. He never thought he would see a day where Lelouch dismissed personal hygiene like he was doing right now. Normally it was Lelouch who hounded him and asked him to clean up and not to stay like an animal. "I doubt she will be gone for long and it's better if we get this conversation over with before she comes back." That made more sense to Suzaku but he still stared at Lelouch warily.

"Close the door." Suzaku did as he was told before coming closer to Lelouch. He debated between sitting next to Lelouch on the bed or on the sofa far away from his clearly insane best friend. Weighing the options in his head he sighed as he took a seat on the bed beside Lelouch.

Lelouch stared at him and it was unnerving him. "What?" He asked.

Lelouch merely tilted his head to the side and smirked. And there was the Lelouch that Suzaku knew. "That's what I am supposed to be asking. What did you want to talk about?" Suzaku knew that Lelouch knew very well what he wanted to talk about but was still acting irritatingly naive.

"You know why I am here."

Lelouch just sighed tiredly like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and sat back. "You have to be more specific Suzaku."

"Why did you break you engagement?"

"I think I already explained it quite well yesterday."

"Why now?"

At that Lelouch stayed silent and gazed thoughtfully at the wall behind Suzaku. Suzaku wondered what was taking Lelouch so long to think about this. Normally Lelouch always had an answer ready for whatever question was thrown at him and he knew that Lelouch may already have been anticipating this talk to take place.

"It's hard to explain."

Suzaku stared at him.

"What?"

Lelouch just sighed again and Suzaku noted that he had been sighing a lot more recently. "Look, I have changed."

"What?"

Suzaku knew that he was starting to sound like a broken record but there was not much that he could do. This was all a bit more over the top than he had expected and there was nothing he could understand. Lelouch rolled his eyes with an irritated look on his face.

"Is it because of CC?" Suzaku realized that it was starting to seem like everything came back to the CC character. Ever since she came everything was upside down and all the things were being questioned. Including the sanity of his best friend. Suzaku entertained the possibility of drug use for a moment before shaking his head. It was a stupid thought and he knew it.

"What?! No!" Lelouch scowled but it quickly disappeared. "Well actually…. Maybe it is kind of related to her." He fidgeted and Suzaku shook in head in confusion. Maybe Suzaku wasn't off the mark with drug use.

"Lelouch, you have to be clearer."

"I cannot, can't you see?" Lelouch burst out. "I cannot explain it more clearly than this and I just-" He buried his head in his hands and Suzaku didn't know what to do. He never seen Lelouch break down before and to witness this made Suzaku feel all kinds of uncomfortable.

"Hey, hey Lelouch." He placed a hand on his friends back and awkwardly tried to rub comforting circles on his back. "Don't worry. We are here to help aren't we? We will get you out of this engagement." Suzaku had a feeling that the problem was more complicated than the engagement but he didn't know how to breach the subject.

"I am fine." Lelouch had a familiar blank look on his face that frankly scared Suzaku.

"Are you-"

"You better leave now. I will be out soon. Let me just get fresh." With that Lelouch pointedly got up and made his way towards the bathroom. The loud snap of the bathroom door made Suzaku wince as he stared at the back of the door warily. This, by no means, sounded like Lelouch but at the same time Lelouch didn't seem like himself ever since he had come.

Sighing, he made his way out of the room, feeling more confused than before. It seemed like he was gathering more questions than answers. There was something off about Lelouch and he had to find out what was it. For that he would have to talk with Nunnally and Euphie about how Lelouch was acting before he arrived.

"He didn't tell you anything did he?" Suzaku frowned in confusion as he noticed the green haired woman leaning against the wall beside the door and he had to wonder where she had managed to get pizza from so early in the morning. She had only worn a flimsy white shirt which looked suspiciously like Lelouch's. He didn't understand how had he managed to miss her attire when she left earlier but he chalked it up to his surprise at seeing Lelouch so unhinged.

"What do you mean?" Suzaku realized that he hated the word 'what'.

CC sighed and rolled her eyes. "What an idiot."

"I am not an idiot!"

"You call him your best friend don't you?" CC asked. "Then why can't you realize that he isn't the Lelouch you know?"

"What do you mean?" He narrowed his eyes and added her to the list of people he had to question.

"He has changed. For the better or for worse is another question but-" she turned toward him. "You need to be there for him. He may act a bit different sometimes what with not remembering events that happened before this but you have to support him. I know it's hard not to ask questions but you can try. And who knows? Maybe you will know the whole story at the end of it all."

With that, she entered the room and shut the door behind her, leaving him standing flabbergasted in the hallway.

It seemed like he had a few things to do.

* * *

"What a bright day!" Gino Weinberg was energetic as he dragged a bedraggled Anya behind him. She had her usual blank look in her face that was only defeated by the slight droopiness of her eyes.

"And we couldn't have waited for some other time to visit the Kitchens?" She groaned. There was still quite some time for breakfast and trust Gino to be curious about the Kitchens of all the places. Anya would have been content to at least be dragged to the gardens if anywhere but Gino was dragging her to the _kitchen._

Where was Suzaku when you needed him?

Sighing she tried to match Gino's pace and by the time they reached the kitchens she was panting for breath.

"You are so unfit." Anya fixed him with a blank stare.

"Or maybe you just have freakishly long legs." She replied monotonously and raised an eyebrow when Gino stuck out his tongue at her.

The Kitchens in the Main Palace as open to the visitors. It had its own small dining room away from where the cooking was done and the visitors could interact with the staff if they wanted. Anya knew that half the reason Gino had come down here was to interrogate the chefs about how they made half the dishes so he could replicate them.

Sighing, she pushed open the door to the small room and was immediately greeted by a familiar person.

"Lady Kaguya!" Gino seemed to be equally surprised as he stepped into the room. Lady Kaguya looked up in surprise before grinning widely. Anya noticed the steaming cup of green tea on the table and gathered that the girl had come here for some of her favorite beverage. "What brings you here so early?" Gino continued.

"Came here to have a bit of tea." She replied. Anya noticed the slightly lilting accent that tainted her English but she had to admit that while on any other Japanese the accent sounded rough, Lady Kaguya managed to make it sound pleasant. She also thought about the fact how Suzaku had no accent at all though she guessed it was mostly due to the influence of Lelouch vi Britannia.

"A woman after my own heart." While any other girl would have blushed, Kaguya merely chuckled lightly. Gino grinned widely in return and Anya raised her eyebrow at that. There was something worth looking into here but for now she would only observe.

"Where is Suzaku?" Kaguya asked.

"I think he went to have a talk with Lelouch." Anya dutifully informed. She had caught sight of the boy striding towards the room where Lelouch was supposed to be staying when they were coming to the Kitchens. It was just after she was mentally cursing Suzaku for not being there to accompany Gino.

She was having quite a lot of fun with this trip mostly because of the revelations. While it wasn't the chaos that interested her, it was the reactions of the others to the problems. She already started a huge collection of photos of everyone wearing an expression which normally would have never been seen on their faces.

"To discuss the plan?" Lady Kaguya questioned innocently though Anya knew that she knew exactly why Suzaku wanted to talk with Lelouch.

"I think it's more to interrogate him." Gino laughed, momentarily forgetting about thee reason he had dragged Anya down to the kitchens.

"I don't think Lelouch will let anyone question him." Kaguya said.

"Maybe Lelouch needed a pep talk he can carry out the plan." Gino suggested cheerfully and Anya rolled her eyes. She never thought she will ever see a day where Lelouch vi Britannia needed a pep talk to do something he was confident about.

"What about the Empress?" She asked.

"I just met with Tianzi before coming here." Kaguya took a sip of her tea. "She is really nervous."

"Why would she be nervous?"

"Well, Tianzi is planning to run away tonight after all."

"The Empress is planning to run away?" Nunnally stepped out from behind the door, a shocked expression etched to her face.

Everyone shared a look and Anya clicked a photo of the stunned Nunnally.

Oops.

* * *

Schneizel sighed and smiled contently as he took another sip of his tea. It was perfect; just the way he liked it.

"You seem to be more content than I have seen you in ages." Schneizel opened his eyes that had closed in his ecstasy and turned his smiled towards his personal assistant.

"That is because I am." Schneizel took another sip. "Lelouch is getting married after all."

"In short, you are happy that Lelouch decided to initiate the political marriage so you didn't have to put yourself in that position." Kanon could always to read him no matter how good his poker face was. Or maybe Schneizel never tried to mask his feelings when he was around his closest friend.

"Do you want me to get married?" Schneizel asked.

Kanon held his gaze as they both got into a staring contest. "Do I have to answer that question?" Kanon asked at last.

"Well, it would make things more fun for one thing." Kanon mused. "It would add an extra layer of fun to go behind the backs of everyone. The danger of being caught would certainly spice up things right?" Kanon winked at him and Schneizel let out a chuckle. He was reminded why he kept Kanon around him. Kanon was refreshing and everything about him was captivating. From his exotic looks to his playful games.

"It sure will. But then I prefer to keep myself to one man for now." Schneizel smiled at Kanon and saw the other man's eyes soften.

"But it's not like we can get married." There was no bitterness in Kanon's voice but Schneizel knew that he felt strongly about the laws in Britannia that prevented two men from getting married. While Schneizel knew that his Father didn't care about who did what, the Emperor still didn't abolish the law. The man was a very lazy person and the world's biggest procrastinator.

"Who knows? Maybe one day the people will hold protests to convince him to change the law." Schneizel squeezed his hand and Kanon gave a smile.

"Anyways there is something going on." Schneizel turned his attention back to his tea.

"What do you mean?" He asked, leaning against Schneizel's seat.

"Don't you feel like something is off about the mood?" Schneizel questioned.

"Not really….. unless you consider the wedding being postponed for a day suspicious."

"Which I don't. What I do find suspicious are the bride and groom going missing at the engagement party yesterday along with a select few of their closest allies." Schneizel took another sip of his tea as he let Kanon digest this information.

"You think they are planning something? But why would they? The marriage was fixed after asking them, they have no reason to disagree now."

" _We_ asked Lelouch. I don't think Empress Tianzi is in this with her own will." Schneizel was very well aware that Empress Tianzi was a mere puppet to the High Eunuchs and he doubted they would have asked for her opinion before arranging this marriage.

"Even so, it doesn't explain why they would have had some kind of meeting behind everyone's back."

"Unless she admitted the fact to Lelouch and he is trying to help her out by planning something dramatic so the wedding doesn't take place." Schneizel was very well aware of the fact that Lelouch had little to no interest in the wedding except for political gains. While his brother may be arrogant he doubted Lelouch would marry someone who didn't want to get married to him.

"Dramatic?" There were clear signs of amusement in Kanon's voice.

"It's Lelouch. He is nothing if not dramatic." Schneizel shrugged. If Lelouch was trying to get out of the wedding they could bet it would be in the most dramatic way possible that would probably end with them getting hounded by reporters for a month.

"So what should we do?"

"For now? Let us wait and watch." Schneizel smiled at his aid and tugged the man a bit closer. "If we play our cards right we may be able to turn this in our favor."

But before he could say or do anything else, a soldier burst in.

"What happened?" Schneizel stood up quickly as Kanon moved a respectable distance away. The soldier seemed unaware of what he had interrupted and Schneizel's eyes narrowed.

"The Empress has been kidnapped!"

 **A/N: Oops? To clarify, she _has_ been kidnapped. But by whom? Can anyone of you guess? Well, this story is dragging on longer than I thought it would but there another two or maximum three chapters left. So be patient and keep guessing!**

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 **Thecatleader,The SENDER and the TRAVELLER, foxydame:** Thanks for the review!


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